Distress
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Set post "The Stand". Charlie leans on Miles for support in the aftermath of Danny's death.


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Revolution and never will. No copyright infringement intended.

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Charlie wanted to hold onto the numb feeling that enveloped her shortly after her brother's death, but unfortunately that didn't last long and quickly turned to overwhelming despair. She was still struggling with her father and Maggie's deaths and her mother's reappearance, so how the hell was she supposed to deal with this? They had just spent all this time rescuing Danny and now he was _dead_. She was never going to see her little brother again. She had vowed to protect him and failed miserably.

After checking to make sure that Nora and Aaron were asleep – Her mother was off somewhere and she wasn't sure where, the distressed Charlie decided to go and talk to Miles. He always knew how to talk to her and calm her down. She trusted him more than her mother at the moment. Charlie wasn't an idiot and knew her uncle had something to deal with Rachel's disappearance, but she had bigger things to worry about. And honestly? She had already forgiven him even though she didn't know the whole story.

Miles was propped up next to a tree when Charlie stumbled into his line of vision. "What are you doing, Charlie?"

She went to answer but to her horror, burst into sobs. "Danny."

He (sort of) reluctantly opened his arms and she dove into them for a hug. "My baby brother's dead, Miles. Just like my dad and Maggie. He's gone and I couldn't protect him."

Miles sighed. "I'm sorry, Charlie." He hated that these losses kept piling up on top of his niece and breaking her more every time. He and Ben hadn't seen each other in years, but he still missed his brother and grieved for him. He definitely understood what she was feeling.

"I want to make sure the Monroe Republic goes down for this. I will not let Monroe go." Charlie could barely speak through the sobs but she knew she wanted vengeance. And Miles would definitely help her with that.

"I know you won't." He supported her (and most likely, Rachel) in her quest for vengeance. It was not going to be easy to take down the Monroe Republic, though, especially with the weapons and technology they had now.

Charlie took some deep breaths to try and calm herself down. "Please don't leave me, Miles. You promised so don't break it. I don't want you to die too. I can't do this without you." She wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle another loss.

Miles began rocking her back and forth to calm her down some more. "I have no intentions of breaking my promise. I'm with you until the very end, so don't you forget it. Got it?"

She nodded and wiped the tears off her face. "I got it." She hoped he didn't break his promise, but there was no telling what could happen next. Her father, Maggie, and Danny's deaths had driven that right into her skull. Charlie sniffled and then lay down on the ground to try and get some sleep.

"You good now?" Miles didn't have much experience calming her down, but he was starting to become an expert at it. However, it was pretty awkward since he wasn't sure if he was fucking this up or not.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay for now." She was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but was unsure if that was even going to happen. Her mind was racing.

"That's good. Now shut the fuck up and go to sleep."

Charlie didn't want to laugh but she did so anyway. "Please be here in the morning. I can't handle it if I wake up and you're not there." She was going to need him to be in her line of sight for the next week or so until this grief faded a little.

"I'm not going anywhere, Kiddo." He smiled at Charlie as her eyes started to drift closed. Within five minutes, she was fast asleep. Miles had a feeling it wasn't going to be a very restful night and decided to stay awake in case she woke up in a panic or something like that. He wasn't going to let her through this by herself.

Rachel suddenly came out of hiding and stared at him. "So my daughter seems to trust you." She wasn't surprised, though – Despite her age, Charlie was still naïve.

Miles glared at her. "You're going to wake her and then we're going to have to deal with this all over again. Be quiet," he whispered.

Rachel startled at the protectiveness in his voice. She certainly hadn't been expecting that from her brother-in-law. "I honestly can't believe it. Miles Matheson is worried about someone other than himself."

"Your kid wormed her way in even though I didn't want her to. We've gone through a lot together." That was the truth. He had been fine being a loner until Charlie changed all that. Now he cared about (maybe – okay definitely – even loved) his niece.

"Don't hurt her. Does she know about your past? What you've done?"

He shrugged. "Some of it. Didn't scare her away, though. She's stubborn, which is a Matheson family trait. But you know all about that." Miles did not appreciate Rachel trying to get him angry right now, especially when Charlie needed her sleep.

She sighed. "Fine. But I'm going to be watching you because I don't want my daughter hurt." Rachel didn't trust him at all and was going to make sure he knew that.

He rolled his eyes. "Charlie's been through enough. She doesn't need this pissing match right now, so leave us alone. Go to sleep. I'll stay here with her and deal with the fallout from today."

"Alright." Rachel reluctantly walked away and left them to their own devices before finding a place to sleep. She respected how much Miles seemed to care about Charlie, but she was never going to trust him after what had happened. She'd keep an eye on both of them and make sure her daughter didn't get hurt.

Miles refused to leave Charlie's side all night and comforted her when she woke up crying from nightmares several times. As long as Miles and Charlie had each other to lean on, nothing could rip them apart. The tragic events that had occurred during their short time together had bonded the uncle and niece together for life. Nobody could stand in the way of that. And Charlie desperately needed Miles' support in the aftermath of Danny's death, which he happily provided. He wasn't going to let her suffer by herself if he could help it.


End file.
